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<p><SPAN class="panel-title"> Evolution of Female Characters in SF and Fantasy -- BayCon 2012 </SPAN> <SPAN class="dateline"> 27.05.2012 13.00h </SPAN></p>
<ul class="taglist">
<li class="tags">
Female Characters
</li>
<li class="tags">
Marked State
</li>
<li class="tags">
Writing the Other
</li>
</ul>

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<DIV class="intro">
From damsels in distress to sword-wielding, gun-toting, and military masterminds, have women found their place, or are they 'feminized' men? Do the women truly reflect changing attitudes about the roles of women?
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<DIV class="panelists">
<ul>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_J._Ross">Deborah J. Ross</a> - Deborah</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Sanderson">Brandon Sanderson</a> - Brandon</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Paxson">Dianna Paxon</a></li>
<li><a href="http://sciencefictionmusings.blogspot.com/2009/09/meet-sf-author-juliette-wade.html">Juliette Wade</a></li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Belmont">Veronica Belmont</a>
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</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="bibliography">Bibliography</h3>
<DIV class='bibliography'>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hundred-Thousand-Kingdoms-Inheritance-Trilogy/dp/0316043915">N.K. Jemisin. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms</a> addresses racism and sexism without it being a focus.
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<h3 id="notes">Notes</h3>
<div class="notes">
<p>Young men (especially teens) often assume things are less risky than they are, and young women often underestimate risks. Men under stress often fight. Men usually do best under time pressure, and women not under time pressure. But fully 25% of each group does not respond that way. It is tough to get that quarter right.</p>
<p>Female characters shouldn't be &quot;men with breasts&quot;.</p>
<p>&quot;Girls who are <u>fancy are not tough</u>&quot; is a terrible old stereotype.</p>
<p>People especailly writers, are getting better about being subtle.</p>
<p>We have very temproally and culturally bounded ideas of clothing.</p>
<p>Every person is the hero of their own story.</p>
<p>If the character comes alive, the rest falls into place.</p>
<p>Beware if interests/driving forces of the character do not align with the book goals.</p>
<p>It is difficult to figure out what are cultural, versus what are innate traits.</p>
<p>Marked versus unmarked trait (the 'default' state). The feminine is the marked state. Animals in English are by default male, other than cats, which are by default female.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.fanhistory.com/wiki/Culture!Fail">Race Fail</a> was a drama about the portrayal of the other. It was a big flame war, but it did result in raised awareness.</p>
<p>Get readers who are from the other state(s).</p>
<p>Differnces between men and women are not only cultural, but racial. [But how is that not cultural?]</p>
<p>Portraying difference is shown in judgements of the character: stimulus -- understanding -- formulating response -- action; the 'formulating response' is very cultural bound, as is understanding.</p>
<p><u>Listening</u> is under-used by writers. When others speak, we tend to put it in our own context, interpret it in our own terms, and formlate our replies. But we would be better served to just listen.</p>
<p><u>Tokenism</u> when a writer becomes aware of this, puts in one person in the marked state, but that character is extremely stereotyped. The response to critique of this is to make the token character very awesome.</p>
<p>Some character grids are good, but character is primary and a good sense of character can bring one out of tokenism.</p>
<p>Stereotypes have value in contextualization. A random set of characteristics are unlikely to gell.</p>
<p>Someone counter to expectations would be good in a character discussion.</p>
<p>The &quot;unmarked state&quot; is useful for characters that aren't developed.</p>
<p>The price of breaking out of expectation.</p>
Explore different types of strength as you write.<br />
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